Who's behind that mask?
by akjupiter
Summary: Natsume and Mikan are officially BF/GF. But what will happen when Persona butts into their relationship and asks Mikan to do something? How will it change her?  suckish summary-good story  ;D COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi everyone! This is my first time doing a GA fanfic so plz review and tell me how it's going.**___

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BRRRRING! The alarm rang, waking up Mikan from her peaceful sleep. She groaned and put her pillow over her head. "Five more minutes." she mumbled. Mikan glanced at the clock for a second and jumped out of bed.

"OOOOOOOOOIIIIIIII! I'm going to be late!" She screamed and rushed into her uniform and brushed her teeth. 'No time for breakfast, sadly.' she thought as she dashed out the door. Mikan clomped down the dormitary stairs with her bag. She burst into class the second the bell rang.

"Ohayo everyone!" Mikan called out, smiling goofily as she sat down in her seat.

"Ohayo Mikan-chan." The class called back except for Hotaru and Natsume greeted Mikan. Narumi-sensei waltzed in wearing a pink tutu, pink leggings, and a blue long-sleeved shirt.

"Ohayo class! Lets see, hmmm. Yay! Everyone's here! Okay class, free period!" Narumi-sensei waltzed back out while students gathered with their friends.

"I don't even know why he bothers to come to class." muttered Sumire as she watched Narumi's retreating back.

"Hoootaaruuu!" Mikan called, and flung her arms out to give a hug to her best friends. BAM! Mikan shot across the room while Hotaru blew away the smoke from her Baka Gun. "Hotaru!" Mikan whined, rubbing her head and standing up. "That hurt!"

"Don't come near me." Hotaru replied coldly while counting her money into stacks. Mikan pouted.

"Meanie!" Anna and Nonoko chuckled. They still found it hard to believe that Hotaru, the Ice Queen, and Mikan, the little foolish and clumsy girl that everyone could not seem to hate, were best friends.

"Shut-up Mikan." Natsume said from under his newest manga. "You're making my ears bleed." Mikan glared at him.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, walking over to Natsume and plucking the manga off his head. "This is the new manga you're reading?"she shrieked, making everyone who was left in the classroom (a lot of people ditch this class) jump. Natsume nodded and snatched it back.

"Yes. And just because you're my girlfriend **(yes she's his girlfriend)** doesn't mean you can take whatever you want from me." Mikan grinned slyly.

"Oh really?" She snatched the manga back from him and raced out of the classroom. Natsume groaned and sprinted after her. The group of friends laughed. Ruka smiled as he stroked the bunny's soft fur. 'Every since Natsume and Mikan have been going out, Natsume has seemed happier. More carefree.' Ruka thought. 'It's been a while since I've seen him like that. That's good, I guess'.

Meanwhile, Mikan was racing down the hallway, manga clutched in hand, with Natsume hot on her heels. She turned a corner and screamed. And not just any scream. A real blood-curling scream that made you stop cold. Everyone in Narumi's class heard it and ran out to find out what happened. Natsume ran even faster and whirled around the corner to find Mikan...gone? He searched wildly around but only saw the manga fluttering an arm's length away.

"Oi, Polka!" he called. "Where are you?" he panicked a bit when he saw something off to the side..disintegrating? Wait, that could only mean one person: Persona. "Oh, Persona if you hurt Mikan, when I get my hands on you," Natsume said angrily. And he was literally on fire. His hands were filled with fire balls ready to aim at anyone. His classmates ran up behind him and he unknowingly whipped around and threw the fire at them.

Anna and Nonoko shrieked and ducked behind a wall while Hotaru, Sumire, and Ruka jumped to the side. They watched the flames slowly die down before looking in worry at Natsume. Ruka nervously stepped forward. "Um, Natsume. Where's Mikan?" Natsume balled up his fists and stared at the ground in fury.

"I have to get her back.." he muttered before jumping out the window, landing safely on the ground and stalking off towards the woods. Hotaru noticed the disintegrating chair off to the side.

"Oi, guys. Look at this." Hotaru murmured, moving closer, inspecting it. "Persona." she whispered fearfully. Nonoko and Anna gasped. Ruka looked towards the forest with worry in his eyes. What could Persona possibly want with Mikan? She didn't do anything wrong, did she? Was it because she might be distracting Natsume from his missions? Ruka sighed and walked back to the others.

"Come on, guys. It won't do any good if we wait here. Let's go outside near the Sakura trees." Nonoko, Anna, and Hotaru sadly nodded and followed Ruka outside and sat under a Sakura tree. Now all they could really do, was wait for Natsume to come back with Mikan.

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Mikan struggled with Persona has he walked swiftly and quietly through the forest. "Where, are you, taking, me?" she asked quietly after realizing that it was no use to try and escape. Persona kept his stoic mask and kept walking. Irritated, she kicked his face which resulted in him dropping her on the ground. "Hey!" she yelled, hopping up and planting her hands on her hips. "What was that for?"

"You kicked me so I dropped you." answered Persona, his back facing towards her. Mikan shivered at the cold tone and tried a different question.

"Why did you bring me here?" Persona turned and gave her a creepy smile which made shivers go through Mikan's body.

"I have a proposal for you." Mikan opened her mouth but quickly shut it when Persona gave her the 'look' again. "Actually it's more like an order, but I need you to join the D.A. class." Mikan shook her head at this preposterous idea.

"Yeah right." she scoffed. "Why would anyone join this class?" Persona had been expecting this and he was prepared with a reply.

"Maybe if they wanted to protect her friends from danger, her _grandfather_." Persona smirked before continuing. "What about the one she loved? It would really suck if he got hurt and she could have saved him. Tsk tsk. what a pity that would be. Wouldn't it?" Persona smiled coldly at Mikan. "What about-"

"Okay, stop stop!" Mikan's eyes filled with tears at the very thought of her friends and grandpa getting hurt. And...Natsume? "What do I have to do?" Persona smiled again, but it was colder than the last one.

"You will help Kuro-neko _**(i think that's his mission name. Please correct me if I'm wrong. ;p)**_ on his missions. Meet me tomorrow in the back of the school at 5:00 am sharp. If you're late, you're punished." Natsume's calls for Mikan rang throughout the forest and Persona walked away and disappeared the moment Natsume saw Mikan curled up on the forest floor, crying. He quickly walked over and hugged Mikan close to him.

"What did he do to you?" Natsume whispered angrily. Mikan shook her head slowly.

"I- I'm fine." Mikan lied, looking away. "Can we go now?" Natsume nodded and carefully picked his girlfriend up and saw her pass out. He gripped Mikan tighter. 'Persona. Watch out. I am NOT letting you go so easily.' Natsume thought before breaking into a jog. 'Just wait.'

Persona smirked from the shadows. "Wait for it Natsume. Mikan will help you much. Just wait a little while longer until she completes her training." He whispered before sinking deeper into the darkness.

Ruka, Hotaru, Anna, and Nonoko leaned against the tree, their minds filled with worry for Natsume and Mikan. They heard a twig snap and saw Natsume emerge from the trees cradling Mikan in his arms. Hotaru and Ruka ran to them while the twins lingered back, not wanting to disturb them.

"Is she okay? Did that jerk of Persona hurt her? Oh if he did he's going to taste my Baka Gun and some of my newest inventions and-" Hotaru was rambling but she didn't care for once. Ruka eyed the couple anxiously.

"Are you okay Natsume?" Ruka asked. Natsume nodded.

"She just passed out.. I don't think he hurt her though." Natsume replied, juggling Mikan a bit so she was more comfortable. "I'm going to take her to my rom until she wakes up, kay?" and without waiting for an answer, he walked towards the dorms carrying a sleeping Mikan.

Hotaru watched their retreating backs and sighed. 'At least that baka's okay.'

_**How was it? Please review! I can take criticism so I don't mind if you tell me this is the worst story ever. ;P Hopefully not.**_

_**Tell me if I should continue! Arigatou!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for all the reviews! I guess I will continue then! It's fun writing this story!**_

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Natsume's POV-

I gently placed Mikan on my bed and covered her with a blanket. She had looked so agitated and scared when I found her. What did Persona do to her? Obviously he hadn't hurt her, but maybe he told her something.

"Natsume." I jumped up, thinking that she was awake but she was just sleep talking. I smirked. So she _did _dream about me. Ha! "No, don't." she murmured. "I won't let you do it on your own." I raised an eyebrow. What won't she let me do? I leaned over and glanced at her. She fidgeted and sweat dripped down her face. All of a sudden, her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up, almost knocking me off the bed in the process. She breathed in and out to calm herself down and registered her surroundings. Her eyes landed on me and filled with tears. Mikan flung her arms around me and hugged me.

"Natsume..don't leave me." I sighed and hugged her closer.

"I promise I'll never leave you. What made you think that?" I asked carefully, rubbing her back. She shook her head in a silent 'no'. I pulled back and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Do you want to go wash up?"

"Sure." she replied absentmindedly. Mikan slipped off the bed and padded out of my room, closing the door softly behind her. What was wrong with her?

If she won't tell me, then I'll have to get the answer out of Persona.

Mikan's POV-

I quietly went into my room and changed into some sweatpants and a T-shirt. Then, hopefully making no noise, I climbed down the stairs and vanished into the forest at 4:58 am. I quietly cut my way across the trees, reaching the back of the school, no later than 5:00 am. I sighed, thankful at being here on time. I heard a crackle and whirled around to find Persona standing behind me, wearing that infamous cold, smile of his.

"Your training begins today." I nodded. "I want you to run around the school 3 times in under two minutes. Then, drop down and give me 100 push-ups. Finally, I want you to do 40 pull-ups on any of the tree branches. I'm starting off light with you today since you're a beginner."

'This is light?' I thought as I started my routine. My breath became ragged and I was panting heavily by the time I finished my laps in 6 minutes and 43 seconds. Persona shook his head in disapproval and instructed for me to do the rest of the training exercises. This is pretty much how I was at the end of training: tired, panting, sore, bruised (i never knew tree branches would snap on your arms!), and wanting to hurt Persona very badly. Oh, and tired. Apparently, this was going to go on every day until I could do all of the exercises without breaking a sweat. Oh joy. (sarcasm intended).

"Can *pant I *pant* go *pant* now?" Persona nodded and dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I glared at his retreating back and sauntered back into my room to wash up and get ready for the day. I groaned as I thought about this. All I wanted to do was to take a long, warm shower and sleep for the next couple years! Was that too much to ask? After taking a shower and dressing in my uniform, I left my hair down and mustered up the most energy I could and skipped to the classroom. I did not need anyone thinking about why I was walking like a zombie in the morning.

"Ohayo guzaimas!" I called out and sank into my seat. Everyone glanced at me curiously and I straightened up. "What?" I asked innocently, hoping that no one would think anything was too wrong with me. Sure enough, everyone turned their attention back to the front of the class where Narumi-sensei was making a morning announcement.

Normal POV-

"Okay, so as everybody hopefully knows by now, finals are coming up!" Everyone, including Mikan, groaned. "So study hard class! Ta-ta!" and with that, he skipped out of the classroom. Sumire rolled her eyes and walked up to Mikan who was sleeping on her desk. She sighed and bent down to Mikan's ear. "WAKE UP!" A startled Mikan gave a big jump and rubbed her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked, looking at Sumire.

"What's up with you? You're always so jumpy in the morning. You sound like my mom when she doesn't get her coffee in time." Mikan grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Mikan was surprised at how easy the lie came from her lips. But obviously, it wasn't good enough to fool Hotaru. Ever since Mikan entered the classroom, Hotaru knew that something was wrong with her best friend. Mikan, who usually pounced on her the minute she walked into the classroom, went to sleep on her desk. And adding to that, she didn't even say good morning to Natsume! Hotaru waved after herself as she walked out of the classroom, gesturing for Mikan to follow her. Confused, Mikan walked behind Hotaru until they were beyond anyone's hearing range. They stopped under the Sakura tree and Hotaru, without facing Mikan, started talking.

"So, where were you this morning?" Mikan looked a bit confused. "I came into your room at 5:30 am to see if I had left my crab brain snack in your room. But when I walked in, there was no Mikan." Hotaru put her hands on her hips and whirled around to face Mikan. "Where. Were. You?" She demanded. And Mikan knew when Hotaru demanded something, she needed to give her answer fast.

"I was hungry so I went down to the kitchen-" Mikan's voice trailed off as she saw Hotaru pull out some pictures _**(gasp)**_

"Then how do you explain these?" Hotaru held up pictures of Mikan running, doing push-ups, and talking to Persona. Mikan's face colored and she bowed her head in defeat.

"I- I can't." she mumbled. Hotaru raised an eyebrow.

"Can't explain _what _Mikan? Huh? WHat's so hard to explain about these?" she was yelling now. Mikan turned her head away from her friend.

"I- I'll get in trouble." she whispered quietly. Her head suddenly snapped up and Hotaru looked at her in confusion. Mikan stared at something behind her and when Hotaru glanced back, she let out a small squeak. Persona stood in the shadow of the trees, watching the two friends quarrel. He stepped forward and Mikan positioned herself between the two.

"What do you want?" she asked as calmly as she could. Persona smirked.

"Since we've been caught by one, it's better to tell her the truth than let the others know. We wouldn't want trouble, would we?" Persona asked. Mikan nodded and Persona disappeared into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared. Hotaru turned to face her friend. Mikan looked up and sighed before starting. She told Hotaru everything that had happened since Persona had captured her the other day, including the threats.

"And there's something else." Mikan whispered. Hotaru glanced at her with interest. "I have more than just the nullification alice." Now Hotaru was surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that I have more than one alice. I also have the ESC alice." Hotaru tilted her head in confusion. "Erase, steal, and copy." Hotaru's eyes widened.

"So, that's why..Persona..asked...you." she stuttered. Mikan nodded and burst into tears.

"I wanted to tell you. Really I did! But, but, I was scared. I don't know why but I-" Mikan threw her arms around Hotaru and hugged her. "Nobody knows except you and Persona. I haven't even told Natsume. Oh Hotaru what do I do?" she wailed as Hotaru held her. Sometimes, Mikan felt as if Hotaru were the only person who could really understand her. She was like her older sister. Always there for her.

"What's wrong? Mikan, are you hurt?" Mikan froze and turned around. Hazel met crimson. Natsume walked forward with a worried expression on his face. Mikan quickly wiped her tears and gave him a big smile.

"No..I'm okay. I just fell from a lower branch on a tree. Thank god Hotaru was there to help me." Hotaru rolled her eyes, thankfully not being seen by Natsume.

"Uh huh." Natsume nodded, unconvinced. He had never seen Mikan cry that much, ever! Mikan grinned again, hoping to deter Natsume from finding out the truth.

"Oi, Natsume! Where are you?" Ruka's voice called out from the school. Hotaru quickly scurried off, dragging Mikan, as if her feet were set on fire.

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"Wait, Hotaru! Where are we going? HOTARUUUUU!" Mikan yelled as her friend dragged her into the dorms. Mikan stared at her friend who was writing down ideas for a new invention.

"Ruka alerter." Hotaru murmured. Mikan walked over and glanced at the diagrams.

"What did you say?"

Silence.

"Oi, Hotaru!" she called louder. BAM! Mikan flew across the hall and collapsed in a heap. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"For being annoying." Hotaru blew smoke off of her Baka gun.

"Meanie!" Mikan yelled, but Hotaru wasn't listening. She quickly walked into her lab and shut the door. Mikan grumbled and left towards her own room. Once there, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the bed. _'I never knew training was going to be this hard!' _Mikan settled into her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

(Time Skip)

"Get up Mikan. _NOW._" The girl sat straight up in her bed and groaned once she saw Persona standing near the window.

"Why?" she mumbled, half-asleep. "It's only 12:00?"

"Because it's time for your first mission with Natsume. Your mask is sitting on the desk. Put it on and follow me." And with that, Persona jumped out of the window. Mikan sighed, slipped out of bed and walked over to her desk. Laying on her desk was a mask. It was black with white Sakura petals on the left cheek side. **(Hopefully that makes sense. I'm not good with descrpitions. ;D)**

Mikan placed the mask on her face, changed into her uniform, and jumped out of the window after Persona. Weeks of training with him had made her ready. _'And I'm not going to fail.'_ she thought as she ran into the night.

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Natusme grunted and kicked a pile of twigs, scattering them across the clearing. _'What the hell could be taking Persona that long? I still need to talk to him about Mikan. He said that he was going to go get someone else..'_

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Natsume walked into the clearing and noticed Persona standing in the shadows that the trees created._

_"Well, I'm here now. What's my mission?" he asked disinterestedly. Persona smirked._

_"Just wait Natsume. I still need to get your partner. She will be helping you in your missions from now on." He walked out, leaving a very pissed Natsume clenching his fists in the darkness._

_'Whoever this chick is, it better not be Mikan.'_

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

Mikan quickened her pace to keep up with Persona. She noticed Natsume waiting in the clearing just ahead of them. He hadn't noticed the two yet. Well, that would be better. Since Mikan had to act all cold in front of him. _'No emotions.' _she reminded herself as Persona motioned for her to step into the clearing. Mikan put her foot forward and found herself face to face with Natsume. But, he looked different with his mask on. Colder, scarier, and more focused.

_'Well,' _she thought, a smirk forming at the corners of her lips. _'Let the games, begin.' _Natusme looked at the girl disapprovingly. He turned to Persona.

"Who the hell is this girl?" Mikan glared at him and Persona smirked, again.

"She, Kuro-neko, is your accomplice in your missions. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Mikan stepped forward. Time to put her coldness into action.

"Names are not needed. I have the ESC alice. If you don't know what that is, which is quite disappointing if I do say so myself, it means Erase, Steal, and Copy." Natsume raised his eyebrows. "So don't mess with me unless you want to get hurt." She nodded and stepped back again. The team turned to Persona.

"Your mission is to breach the Anti-Alice Organization **(I couldn't think of anything better. ;D)** and delete their top two most important files from the database. They are labeled AANESC and IOMS*. But I must warn you now," Persona started, smirking, "all the guards have Alices. Don't take this mission lightly." Natsume and Mikan bowed and left Persona in the clearing.

They walked in silence. Mikan dared not say a word out of fear of revealing her true identity to Natume. About half-an-hour later, after covering 4 miles of land, they came upon an extra large tree. Both of them paused in front of it, not speaking. Mikan noticed a small camera, swooping overhead and pulled herself and Natume to the side, just as it scanned the area they had been standing not a second ago. Natsume looked at Mikan with anger and was about to shoot back a snide comment when five guards came out for patrol.

"It's showtime." Mikan mouthed, and off they went.

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**Phew! Longest chapter I have ever written! Please review and tell me if my work was worth the effort. **

**Arigatou!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Next chapter! YAY!**_

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___"It's showtime." Mikan mouthed, and off they went._

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Natsume waited for the guards to turn their backs and attacked. Mikan, using Nobara-chan's copied ICE alice, formed five ice spears and aimed them at five of the guards' backs. _THUD. _All five of them fell to the ground, unconscious. Mikan stalked into the building silently while Natsume stared at her dumbfounded. _'Well, at lest she's good.' _Natsume snorted at the thought and trailed Mikan into the building. Mikan crouched behind a stack of crates until Natsume gave the all-clear sign. She walked in the shawdows alongside with Natsume until they came to a metal door. Mikan slipped up to it and was about to type in the password when Natsume grabbed her hand, stopping her from doing so.

"What?" she whispered irritably. Natsume jerked his head toward the vents.

"It's safer." he snapped and swung himself up with little effort. Natsume smirked at the girl standing below him, hands on her hips. "Need help?" he said sarcastically. Mikan glared at him and easily pulled herself up. Natsume shook his head in approval. "Not bad." he muttered. Mikan was about to give him the 'look' but then she realized that at that point, she wasn't Mikan Sakura. She was just an accomplice on Natsume's missions. So she just stepped in front of him and slipped through the opening. Natsume followed in short and they crawled in the cramped space until Mikan spotted a small light coming from the other end.

She beckoned to Natsume with her hand and peeked through the small space. A group of guards were walking around with guns and all of them were at least twice the height of Mikan or Natsume. Thanking the gods that the vent was on the ceiling, Mikan pushed the door open and jumped onto the carpeted floor, making no sound whatsoever. Natume followed her and one of the guards spotted them. He motioned for his fellow officers to turn around. He smirked.

"Well well. What do we have here? The Black Cat and..his girlfriend?" Natsume gritted his teeth.

"You wish." he spat. The formed a ball of fire in his hand. "But you won't live long enough to find out." The guard in response formed an ice dagger and froze Natsume's flame. Mikan took this as her cue to step in. She made another ice dagger and shattered the guard's. His smirk faltered and Natsume tossed a ball of fire at him, just as Mikan threw the dagger. The rest of them turned to face the children with murderous looks in their eyes.

"This'll teach you to mess around in adult's buisiness." He created a wall of vines which curled towards the kids and started to wrap around their legs. Mikan rolled her eyes in annoyance as Natsume burned it away.

"Is that the best you can do?" she sneered as as a bolt of lightening shot out from her, paralyzing the guard, as it hit the back of his neck. Natsume stared in shock at the girl. _'How many Alices has this girl copied?' _Natsume snapped back to reality as a dagger barely missed his head. Mikan was fighting six guards so Natsume focused on the five that were trying to alert security.

_'Oh I don't think so.' _Natsume thought as he charged at them. He punched one of them in the gut only to be returned with a punch in his face. The fight went on for hours when finally, the pair managed to defeat the remaining guards. Mikan quickly ran over to the main system and started deleting the files Persona had asked them to do. Once the task was finished, Mikan teleported herself and Natsume back to the clearing where Persona had asked them to be once the mission was finished. He, himself, waited by the trees.

"How did it go?" Persona asked this question as if he were asking what they had for lunch the other day! But nonetheless, Mikan answered him with a straight answer.

"We got all the files deleted from the main system. There is no was that they can be retrieved." Persona nodded approvingly.

"Good. You are dismissed." He disappeared into the shadows and Mikan turned to face Natsume.

"Bye, Hyuuga." she said stoically before teleporting to her dorm room.

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Mikan quickly hid her mask in a cupboard, showered, and changed into a pair of sweats and a loose T-shirt before drying her hair and walking outside. To Natsume, it would look as if she had just woken up due to her unbrushed hair and tired look. She sat under their Sakura tree and gazed up at the early morning sky. To her, the morning had been totally unbearable. Looking at Natsume as if she didn't care about him at all. Ignoring him when she would've cracked a stupid joke. And most of all, not smiling. It took hours of practicing in front of the mirror for Mikan to get the hang of showing no emotions.

She heard the silent creak of the gates and stood up. Natsume dragged his body through and noticed Mikan standing underneath their tree. She looked at him, worrying that he might have hurt himself along the mission when she hadn't noticed.

"Hey..Mikan." Natsume croaked. He started to fall over and Mikan quickly caught him.

"Did-" she took a deep breath. "Did _Persona _work you too hard again?" she asked, letting him lean on her for support as she walked towards the boys' dorms.

"Hn." Mikan glanced at Natsume who was constantly wincing every time he took a step. Instead of saying anything, Mikan continued helping him until they reached his room. Mikan unlocked the door with her key that Natsume had given her and hauled him inside. She gently laid Natsume on the bed and wet a washcloth. She strode over to the bed and dabbed at the drying blood on the side of his face. Once wiping the blood off, she took a bandage and gently stuck it on his cheek. Mikan went to a cabinet and took out some gauze and cotton. She then proceeded to fix up his knee, which had been the reason he was limping. Mikan spoke to him as she worked.

"How are you feeling, Natsume? Better?" He grunted and Mikan took that as a 'yes'. She gently wrapped the gauze around his knee and helped him sit up. "I'm going to go make you some tea. Stay here." Natsume shook his head.

"No tea." he grunted. "Soda." Mikan glared at him.

"Tea."

"Soda."

"Tea."

_"Soda!"_

_"Tea!" _

_"SODA!" _Mikan rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen that all special stars had, ignoring Natsume's protests. She poured some water into the kettle and waited for it to warm up. A ding alerted her to the water and she poured it out into a cup. She popped in Natsume's favorite tea, orange spice (and she had a strange suspicion that it had something to do with her), and carefully carried it back to his bedroom. Mikan handed it to him.

"Here. Drink this." Natsume rolled his eyes but didn't protest. He took the cup and sipped at it. A relaxed look came over his face. "Better, right?" asked Mikan sitting on the edge of the bed. Natsume nodded and Mikan smiled that ever-so-cheerful-smile of hers. Natsume gulped down the rest and was put the cup down. Mikan grabbed it and placed it in the kitchen sink before waling towards the door. Natsume jumped off the bed and grabbed her wrist.

"St-stay." he mumbled, his face red and looking downwards. He looked so cute that she just had to agree. Mikan smiled and led him back to the bed. She sat on it in such a way so that Natsume's could lean his head in her lap. He closed her eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. Mikan looked down at his sleeping face and chuckled, brushing a few strands of hair back. He looked so angelic and innocent when he was sleeping.

She leaned against the headboard and sighed. It's been a long morning and Mikan was tired. Maybe she would just close her eyes for a bit...

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Mikan winced and buried her head in the pillow at the sharp pang of light that was streaming through the window. She started to roll over but then hit something soft and...warm. Mikan snuggled against it and opened her eyes. She was looking straight at Natsume's perfect lips. Mikan stifled a scream and tried to scoot back but Natsume's arms were wrapped around her so she couldn't move. _'Oh wells.' _sighed Mikan, snuggling into him. _'It won't hurt anyone.' _She closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

Natsume's POV-

I cracked my eyes open and cringed at the piercing light. A soft breath blew on me and I looked down to find Mikan sleeping in my arms. My face face grew warm as she snuggled closer to me. I smirked. Life couldn't get any better than this. I actually wouldn't mind waking up like this every day. I slowly started to get up, trying not to wake Mikan, but to no avail. She yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her eyes registered to the surroundings and looked at me. Her face creased into a worried expression.

"Are you feeling better, Natsume?" I smirked and she glared at me. "Fine, don't answer." She hopped off the bed and made her way towards the door, but I pulled her into a hug.

"Yeah. Much better." Mikan's cheeks reddened and she looked at the floor. I quickly gave her a quick, light kiss before leading her out the door. "Go get ready. I'll meet you in the classroom." She nodded and gave me a cheerful 'bye' before closing the door.

Mikan's POV-

I splashed my face with water and changed into my uniform, not bothering to take another shower since I took one just a couple hours ago. Tying my hair into two pigtails, I scooped up my bag and skipped out of my room, hummed a little tune to myself while I walked to the classroom.

"Ohayo!" I called out, throwing the door open.

"Ohayo, Mikan-chan!" the class called back. I skipped to my seat and dropped my bag before jumping towards Hotaru.

"OHAYO HOOOOTAAARRRRUUUU!"

_Baka Baka Baka_

"Meanie!" I yelled, wincing at the baka gun. "I wanted to say hello!" Hotaru blew smoke off her gun before going on with her project. Curious, I walked over and looked at the strange object. It looked like a watch with no time. I suddenly remembered something. "Hey! Is that the thing you were talking about a a couple weeks ago but never finished. The Ruk-" Hotaru slapped her hand over my mouth, making my voice muffled. I pulled away and stalked over to Natsume who was reading a new manga.

"Ohayo, Nat!" I called out cheerfully as I stood next to his desk.

"Don't call me that, Polka." My grin faded as I gritted my teeth at the stupid nickname.

"Then don't call me POlKA!"I yelled. Natsume covered his ears.

"You're making my ears bleed, Polka." he muttered. Natsume flipped open his manga and started to read it again. I sulked back to my desk and sat down, wincing at the spot where one of the ice shards had punctured my during the mission. Gently rubbing my arm, I discreetly put on some ointment for the wound. I heard someone stand next to my desk and looked up. Natsume looked at me worridely.

"What did you do you do to your arm?" he asked.

"Nothing." I said nochalantly, waving my hurt arm around as if it didn't hurt, but failing when I dropped it back on the table hard. A small scream escaped from my sealed lips and Natsume pulled the sleeve of my uniform back. He gasped with surprise when he saw a deep gash,covered with dry blood and turning blue and green from where it was hit. I quickly pulled the sleeve back down before anyone else noticed.

"Natsume, I'm fine." I whispered. He was about to pull me up again when Persona walked into the room. Everyone hushed their talking and turned to look at Natsume, Persona, then back to Natsume. Persona gave a quick flick of his hand and Natsume reluctantly followed him. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. There wasn't a mission today, was there? I was about to go make sure when someone pushed me back into my seat. Shaking my head, I looked up and saw Luna**. **She had moved back from America yesterday and enrolled in Gakuen Alice again, much to everyone's dismay.

"Where do you think _you're _going?" she sneered. I gulped with terror. I had only heard some of the things Luna did to people who didn't obey her commands or listen to her when she was speaking.

"I-I'm going to my room." I mumbled, before trying to get up. But she held me back with her hand.

"Oh, I don't think so." she said, an evil smile appearing on her face. "Didn't you want to follow Natsume-kun? Hm?" I shook my head in a desperate protest, but she didn't go for it.

"DON'T LIE!" she yelled, twisting my hurt arm. There was evident pain written all over my face. Luna smirked and twisted it harder.

"I'm telling the truth." I gasped, my voice growing weak with pain. Bursts of pain shot up my arm and I struggled to get out of her grasp. could've easily twisted her arm back and make her let go, but I didn't want anyone to think that something was going on. Normally, I would just scream and beg her to let go of me until she literally had me crawling on the floor, begging for forgiveness. There was pin drop silence in the room as our classmates watched the growing tension between us.

"Just letting you know, stay away from him."she hissed, digging her long, manicured nails into my arm, unknowingly, also cutting up the scab that I had developed since I got cut. Blood leaked out and she finally let go, satisfied with the trouble she had caused. Luna and her minions stalked out of the classroom, slamming the door shut behind them. Just as the door closed, the entire class gathered around me, asking me if I would be okay or not. I smiled politely to each comment and shook my head at any offers of handkercheifs.

"I'll just go to the nurse. It'll be fine." I gestured for all of them to sit back down, which they thankfully did. Only a couple of my friends remained standing around me: Anna, Nonoko, Hotaru, and Ruka.

"It seems like she hasn't figured out that you two are officially together yet." Anna said thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. Nonoko nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Once she realizes that Natsume's under your claim, then she'll stop."

"Hey, hey. I don't like own him. Jeez, Nonoko." I grinned sheepishly. "We're just going out."

Nonoko winked at me. "Same thing." I groaned exasperatedly. Partially because of Nonoko's comment and partially because of the pain my arm was giving me. Hotaru's eyes widened at the sight of blood dripping down my arm. Despite my protests, she rolled up my sleeve and gently dabbed at the gash. Ruka's and twins' eyes widened.

"What happened to you?"gasped Anna, twistin her head so she could get a better look. I looked sheepishky down at my feet.

"I just tripped over my feet and fell on a knife while I was cutting some fruit for myself." I lied, my face flustered. I glanced at Hotaru, who was staring at me quite intently, and understanding registered in her eyes. She cursed Persona under her breath while everyone fussed over me. I took the rest of the day off in my room. I showed my bloody sleeve to Narumim and he immediately gave me an early leave.

I washed my wound and gingerly wrapped some gauze around it. Changing into my nightclothes, I settled under the covers and sighed. I never wanted to go back to school. My eyelids drooped and I fell into a restless, dreamless sleep.

* * *

A gust of cool air blew over me and I shivered, pulling the comforter tighter around me. Suddenly, I heard the snap of a window lock and sat straight up. Someone walked over and calmed me down.

"Shh, Polka." Natsume's voice reassured me that I was safe again. "It's just me. How are you feeling?" I mumbled a soft 'better' and snuggled down into the blanket, trying to keep myself warm. I heard the springs creak as Natsume climbed in next to me, stroking my hair the way I had done to him the night before.

Everything would be better.

.

.

Natsume was here now.

.

.

I was safe again.

.

.

And boy, was I wrong!

* * *

**_I finally finished! Please review and tell me if it was good!_**

**_Arigatou!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Yay! The next chapter is UP! Enjoy!_**

**_

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Mikan's POV-

I opened my eyes and rolled out of bed, wincing at the slight pain in my arm. I glanced back at the empty bed, figuring that Natsume had already left to go get ready. I took a quick shower and slipped on my uniform, taking care to hide the huge gash in my arm. I skipped down to the kitchen and grabbed a slice of bread before racing towards my class. Training with Persona had given me some speed so I made it to the classroom with seconds to spare.

Throwing open the door, I called out an 'ohayo' to everyone and ran over to Hotaru.

"OHAYO HOTARU!" I yelled flinging my arms out.

**_Baka Baka Baka_**

I flew to the other side of the room and collapsed in a heap. Sadly, this was becoming a daily routine for me. "meanie.." I muttered before running over to my seat and jumping in. Not a second after I had done so, a loud beeping sounded from the other side of the room from Hotaru. Everyone looked at her curiously as she switched off a device on her wrist. Ruka hurried in a split second later, a blush creeping onto his face when he realized that Hotaru was watching him. I raised my eyebrows. Natsume did the same. We glanced at each other and nodded.

We have some work to do on our flirting friends.

* * *

Natsume's POV-

Gay lord walked in a moment later, but something was different. He didn't look...GIRLY! He was wearing a pair of light blue jeans with VANS and a plaid shirt. Narumi stalked to the stand and looked around the classroom.

"I have an announcement." Everyone was listening intently, because it's not everyday that Narumi talks normally without any high-pitched squealing or anything. "From today, you will all have to turn in a report on any suspicious activity around the school." Murmurs of protest went around the classroom. I raised my eyebrows. Reports? What was this good-for-nothing-academy trying to do now?

Someone stood up on the side of the classroom. "Why do we have to do this? We didn't do anything wrong!" At this point, Luna smirked and stood up.

"Because I said so. There have been weird things that I've seen and they need to be put to an end." I rolled my eyes at the stupid comment.

"Like what?" I said, staring her down.

Like lower class students spending way too much time around us upper standard students!" she exclaimed. A gasp went around the room.

"Who gives you the authority to say who we hang out with?" Hotaru said, not taking her eyes off her latest invention. Luna glared at the young inventor.

"The Principal, that's who." she bragged. Everyone scooted backwards, trying to edge out of the classroom without her noticing. "STAY!" Luna screamed. They froze, mid-step. Narumi glared at the girl and whispered something in her ear. She huffed. "Fine, you all can go. But first reports are due tomorrow." The class nodded and scurried out, not wanting to face the wrath of Luna Koizumi.

I stalked out after them along with Mikan, Hotaru, and Ruka. We went over to the Sakura tree and sat down. Me and Ruka climbed up to a branch and laid their heads back. Mikan and Hotaru looked at each other and shrugged, kicking their legs out in front of them. The four remained silent, watching the rays dance across the manicured lawn, and soaking in the last warmth of the day. I glanced down and saw Mikan whispering something to Hotaru who looked at her anxiously and shook her head as if in protest. Mikan nodded furiously and pulled Hotaru off the ground and onto her feet. 'Go.' she mouthed, and Hotaru stalked off towards a small park on the side of the school.

Miakn grinned at Ruka who looked at her weirdly. Oh, now I understood. I pushed Ruka off the branch and jerked my head towards the way Imai had gone. He looked at me with panicked eyes. Mikan faced him with a serious face.

"Go. Tell her how you feel, Ruka-pyon. Trust me." Ruka started to protest but I jumped off the tree and stood next to Mikan.

"Seriously man. Don't screw this chance up. It's probably the only time you'll get her alone." He nodded and stalked off towards Hotaru. Once he was out of earshot, Mikan grabbed my hand and started to run. "Oi Polka!" I exclaimed, while she dragged me behind a bush. "What are you doing?" She put a finger over her lips.

"I need to get this on video." she whispered, pulling out her camcorder. I rolled my eyes. She sounded just like Imai now. "They're talking now." Mikan whispered, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Uh, hi Imai-san." Ruka said nervously while Hotaru looked at him weirdly. "I have to tell you something." Hotaru nodded, folding her arms.

"Okay then." she said stoically. "Spit it out." Ruka's face turned bright red.

"Um, Imai-san, I- I-"

"Yes?" Hotaru now looked curious. Ruka looked up.

"I- " he took a deep breath. "I love you." Hotaru's eyes widened as Ruka's words registered in her mind.

"What did you say?" she whispered. Ruka straightened up.

"I love you." he announced. "And, I don't mind if you don't return the feelings to me right now, but I will always love you and-"

"Baka." Hotaru whispered, her face full of emotion. "I love you too, Ruka." His head snapped up, looking at her with shock, a smile spreading across his face. Before she could say anything else, he pulled her close and kissed her. It was a small, light kiss, but full of passion. Hotaru hugged him, knowing that he was right for her.

"I love you, Hotaru." he murmured as he ran his hand through her purple-ish hair.

"Aaawww!" Mikan whispered, wiping tears from her eyes. Seriously, this girl is just too emotional. Well at least, Ruka has someone now. I pulled Mikan up and silently crept out of the bushes, knowing that if we got caught, we would end up in the hospital for months.

We walked back to our Sakura tree and sat down. Mikan rested her shoulder on mine as we gazed at nothing in particular. I sighed as the sun dipped into the horizon, sending a spray of oranges and reds into the sky.

All of a sudden, Mikan sat up and stared into the Northern Woods. Persona walked out, his eyes looking colder than ever as he looked at the girl beside me with disgust.

"You have another mission, Kuro-neko." he said, his cold voice sending shivers through Mikan's body. "Come with me now." Before leaving, he briefly glanced at Mikan and then left into the mist. I sighed and stood up, helping Mikan before I turned around.

"When will you be back?" she asked, her voice trembling. I turned around and gave her a weak smile. "Tomorrow morning at the latest. Don't wait up for me this time. I don't know how long it could take." Then I turned around and walked behind Persona into the forest.

Mikan's POV-

I waited until Natsume was totally gone from my view until I jumped up and ran to the dorms. Throwing on my mask, I tied my hair into a tight knot and jumped through the window. Wanting to make it there before Natsume or Persona, I jumped through the trees faster, scratching my arms and legs in the process as I was only wearing a short sleeved shirt and my uniform skirt. When I reached the base, I leaned against a tree and waited for the other two to arrive. They sure do take a while. I decided to surprise them.

Climbing onto a lower branch of a tree, I blended into the shadows and waited until I saw Persona and Natsume walked towards our meeting spot.

"We'll have to wait for her, Kuro-neko." Natsume rolled his eyes.

"Hn." I smirked and jumped out of the tree landing right next to Natsume and Persona, making both of them jump slightly at my sudden appearance.

"You waited, I came. Now what's the mission." I stated boredly. Persona huffed at my impatience and began to speak.

"This time, your mission is to escort some new students to this school. There will be a car and you two will follow it. Make sure there is no trouble along the way." I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the highway where we would meet the car. My feet carried me towards the road and I could hear Natsume following through the trees behind me. I fought the urge to crack a joke or say something stupid like usual. But Natsume didn't seem to feel awkward about the silence so I kept quiet.

A couple minutes later, we both stepped out onto a road lit by streetlights and found a car waiting to be accompanied. I stood on one side with Natsume on the other and the car rolled off the side of the road and onto the lane. We jogged along with it, not bothering to tell the car to slow down. We were trained for this, after all.

We were about a mile away from Gakuen Alice when about 20 masked men emerged from the trees, blocking the car. I heard the terrified squeaks of the girls inside and the surprised 'oh' of the driver. Natsume and I stepped up to the job. They were finished in about 10 minutes. The car rolled on and we followed behind, just incase any of them awakened.

The gates opened and the car went on through them as Natsume and I jumped on the back in order not to be left behind. The car screeched to a stop in front of the dorms and Natsume hopped off with me.

Natsume stalked off towards the trees, but I lingered behind. The chauffer opened the door and helped two familiar looking girls out. I peered at them and held in a gasp of surprise. Akame and Eri stepped out of the vehicle. My other two best friends besides Hotaru. They were always there for me when I needed them after Hotaru got sent here.

And now they were standing right in front of me! It took every piece of control I had over my body to not run over and hug those two right now. The chauffer turned to me.

"Can you please take these young ladies to their dorm rooms, miss?" he asked politely. "I need to go report the event to the principal and I don't want to leave them out here by themselves." I nodded.

"Yea. It's cool. I'll take their luggage too." I said in a montonish voice. The driver nodded and pulled out four suitcases from the trunk and set them on the ground.

"Here you are." the driver exclaimed. "Thank you, miss, for all your help." I waved my hand nochalantly.

"Don't worry about it. Bye." The man hopped back into the car and drove off, leaving me with Akame and Eri who gawked at me as I picked up all four suitcases with ease.

"Follow me." I said stoically and stalked ahead. I heard the patter of their feet behind me and hushed whispers. Opening the door for them, I struggled with the suitcases and managed to make it to the elevator. Akame and Eri followed quietly. Noticing that their stiffness and awkwardness around me, I sighed.

"What Alices do you have?" I asked The two jumped at my sudden question.

"I- I have levitation." stammered Akame. I nodded my acknowledgment.

"And I have teleportation." murmured Eri. I smirked. A new rival for Mochiage. How interesting.

"What Alice do you have?" asked Akame. I glanced at her sideways.

"Nullification and S.E.C." I stated. They looked at me questioningly and I rolled my eyes, glad to have my mask still on. "Nullification nullifies any other Alice that tries to harm me. S.E.C. stands for Steal, Erase, and Copy. So basically I can steal, erase, or copy anyone's Alice." They gasped and I sighed.

"I have never stolen or erased anyone's Alice yet." I reprimanded them and they let out a relieved breath of air.

"Why don't you take your mask off?" Eri questioned. I shrugged.

"Don't want to." The elevator dinged and I stepped out with their luggage and walked towards the dorm rooms. I stopped in front of two vacant one-star rooms. Copying the future Alice had already given me knowledge of them being one-stars.

"These are your rooms." I turned to face them. "Breakfast is at 7:30am. Classes start at 8:00 sharp in the Elementary School Building. The one right across from this dorm building." They nodded and picked up their respective bags and set them in their rooms. The two walked out and looked at me curiously. "What?"

"Nothing." Akame shook her head. "It's just, you look like someone we used to know." My breathing hitched up. Did they recognize me already? No, that's not possible, right?

Eri nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Hey, can you take your mask off?" I shook my head.

"I don't want to."

"Please?" They pleaded.

"No!" I exclaimed sharply. Eri closed her eyes in concentration and tried to use her levitation Alice to lift the mask off my face. I nullified it. "Did you already forget that I have the nullification Alice?" I asked. She deflated a bit and Akame rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Eri, lets go. She's probably just some stuck up baka that thinks she can do whatever she wants." The two turned towards their rooms, but I used my barrier Alice to stop them.

"Fine." They turned around expectantly. "I'll take off my mask _Akame_." She gasped, probably remembering that she never mentioned her name to me. "Oh , I remember you two alright. How could I not."

Eri glared at me. "What are you talking about? This is the first time you're even seeing us." I chuckled.

"Yeah right." I shrugged. "Fine. I'll show you. But you have to promise me one thing and I mean this." They nodded, signaling me to continue. "You cannot tell anyone about this. Nobody in my class except for Hotaru knows about me doing this." Akame gasped.

"You know Hotaru?" she exclaimed. I nodded, signaling for them to be quiet.

"Here, lets take this conversation somewhere more private." I teleported all of us into my room. My friends shook their heads in amazement.

"Hey," started Eri doubtfully, "why is your room bigger than ours?" I sighed again.

"Special star." They looked at me in awe and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you sure you can promise not to tell anyone?" They nodded and crossed their arms over their hearts.

"I promise." They chorused. I took a deep breath, took my hair out of it's knot and was about to pull off my mask when someone stepped into my room. I whipped around, my forehead creased in anger beneath my mask as I faced Persona once again.

"What now?" I spat. Akame and Eri shrank back at the newfound cold layer in my voice. Persona smiled that ever-so-cold smile of his.

"Well, well. Getting friendly with the new acquaintices, now are we, shiro-neko?" he asked. I glared at him

"Not at all _Persona_." I said through clenched teeth.

"Well, I was just making sure that you came back from the mission safely." I rolled my eyes and snorted.

"Yeah right." Persona shrugged and jumped back through the window. Akame and Eri looked at me with frightened eyes.

"Who is he?" Eri whispered fearfully.

"Sadly, he's one of my teachers. Don't mess with him unless you want to get hurt." I stated. They nodded quickly. "Calm down. He can't do anything to you while I'm around. He probably won't anyway." I muttered. They nodded again. "So," I started, trying to lighten the mood. "You guys wanted to see me?" Eri nodded _again _vigorously. I pulled off my mask and my friends gasped.

"Mi- Mikan?" Akame whispered, a hand reaching out and caressing my cheek. "It really _is _you!" she exclaimed, jumping for joy. Eri was acting a little differently though.

"You could've told us you were going." she whispered angrily. "You could've said good-bye." I looked down at my feet ashamed and that's why I was surprised when she enveloped me in a big hug. "I missed you, Mikan-chan." I nodded and hugged her, too. She finally pulled back and I grinned my usual cheery smile at her. Her eyes lit up and the three of us enveloped each other in a great bear hug.

I was the first to pull back. "Go on you guys. You have to wake up early tomorrow. We'll be in the same class. I promise." Akame and Eri laughed and skipped out the door. I quickly closed the door behind them. Hopefully Persona hadn't heard all that.

Taking a quick shower and changing into a pair of loose sweats and a tank, I crawled into my bed and hugged the comforter tight around me. Sleep quickly took over and I was left with a dreamless night.

* * *

RIIIINNNGGGG! The alarm rang, popping me to my senses. I looked up groggily at the clock. 6:30am. I groaned and turned over, only to fall off the bed onto the wooden floor. Cursing under my breath, I slapped the alarm clock and it turned off. Since I had some extra time today, I would take a quick shower and use the extra time to catch up with Akame and Eri. Ten minutes later, I jumped out, dried myself down, and pulled on my uniform. I brushed through the forest of tangles in my hair and pulled it into my usual two pig-tails.

I grabbed my bag and glanced at the clock as I raced out the door: 7:15. Running down the stairs, I almost bumped into Eri. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, steadying herself. I gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry." Eri shook her head in forgiveness.

"It's all right. I was just heading to breakfast. Wanna come with me?" I nodded enthusiastically and skipped to breakfast. There we met up with Akame and ate our breakfast. We walked to school together. All Akame and Eri did was gape at the huge manicured lawns, the huge mansion-like schools and the line of perfectly cared for Sakura's along the pathway. I was about to say something when Narumi jumped out in front of us. Akame and Eri stifled a scream while I just chuckled. This was to normal for me.

"Ohayo, Narumi-sensei!" I exclaimed, waving my hand. Narumi nodded. Today, he was back to his usual attire: Pink jeans paired with a ruffled white blouse.

"Ohayo, Mikan-chan! Are you two the new exchange students?" he asked, peering at Akame and Eri who were sweating bullets by then. They nodded furiously and Narumi stood back, clapping his hands. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed, twirling off into the distance. "Now, I'll see you all later!" I continued walking, pulling a shocked Akame and Eri along with me.

"He's our homeroom teacher." Their mouths opened in a small 'o' as I pulled them along the path. Making sure that no one was there, I glanced at them. "Hey, guys."

"Nani?" Eri asked.

"Please don't tell anyone I have the SEC alice, okay?" Akame looked at me questioningly.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want them to know yet. Only Hotaru knows so far. And Persona." I added with a whisper. Seeing that we were at the classroom, I motioned for them to wait outside and flung open the door.

"Ohayo everyone!" I called out. Running over to Hotaru, I flung my arms open. "Ohayo Hotaruuuu!"

_**Baka Baka Baka**_

I moaned as I rubbed the new bruises on my head. "Mou, Hotaru, that was mean!"

"Don't bug me." came her reply. Then I remembered something and grinned mischeviously.

"Hey, Hotaru!" I called out.

"What?" she replied, her back still facing me." Pulling out my video camera, I crept over to her and played yesterday's scene of Ruka and Hotaru confessing to each other. Her face turneed bright red and she pulled out a MEGA baka gun. I quickly pulled it away.

"No, no, no. Ne, Hotaru?" She glared at me. I sweatdropped. "Do you want a copy?" I asked meekly, holding up the camcorder.

**_Baka Baka Baka_**

I flew across the room again and groaned as I hit the floor with a thump. Knowing that If I wanted my life then I should stay away from Hotaru, I skipped over to my seat and slipped in.

"Ohayo, Natsume!"

"Hn." came the grunted reply from under the manga. I sighed.

"Honestly Natsume, is it that hard to say 'hello' ?" I asked.

"Hn." I glared at him.

"Fine. Keep it that way. But first, give me this.." I snatched the manga off his head and hid it in my bag. Natsume sat up and glared at me.

"Give it back, Polka." I grinned evily.

"No."

"Give. Me. My. Manga. Back. Now." I grinned cheekily and pulled it out of my bag, holding it between my hands as if I was going to rip it in half. He looked at me threateningly.

"You wouldn't." I smirked.

"I would." He lunged for it but I leaned back and held it out of his reach. Natsume glared at me for a split second longer before pulling out another manga and placing it on his head again. I pouted and tossed the other manga back at him. He caught it with ease and smirked. I rolled my eyes and looked to the front of the room as Narumi-sensei pranced in.

"Ohayo class! I have some exciting news. We have some new students! Come on in girls!" Amake and Eri walked in and stood, facing the classroom.

"Hello." said Amake. "My name is Amake Tanaka and my alice is levitation. I am a one-star." She stepped back as Eri stepped forward to make her introductions.

"Ohayo everyone. My name is Eri Sato and my alice is teleportation. I am also a one-star." The class clapped and Narumi looked around for some empty seats.

"Ah! Tanaka-san, you can take the seat next to Mochiage. **(sorry, I don't know his last name)**" I smiled. This was going to be fun. Two of the same Alices next to each other. "And Sato-san, you can sit next to Shouda-san." The two girls nodded and went to their respective seats. "Okay class, free period!" and he waltzed back out the door. I stood and walked over to Akame and Mochi who were having a glaring contest. I spun both of them around.

"Ne, ne. Watcha' doing?" I questioned innocently. Mochi faced me with an angry expression on his face.

"Can you tell the _new student _not to touch my stuff?"I glanced at Akame who was glaring at Mochiage.

"I did not! He dropped his pencil so I picked it up for him. Then he just tells me not to touch his stuff." she said, exasperatedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, can you guys _try _to work it out?" I asked desperately. In response the two of them marched in separate directions. Akame marched over to Eri and Mochi stomped over to Natsume.

Like I said before. This was going to be fun.

* * *

_**So... How was it? This is my longest chapter ever so can you please review? Pretty please? Just click the little button down there... :)**_

_**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter too! I'll have the next chapter up ASAP!**_

_**Arigatou!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Next chapter is up! Please read and review!_**

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Mikan's POV-

Walking over to Natsume, I glanced at Mochu who was arguing with him before sitting down.

"Nani? What are you guys talking about?" Natsume looked at me with an expression that clearly said 'Get this idiot away from me'. I smirked and shook my head in response.

'Sorry'. I mouthed. He glared at me and I shrugged. Akame stalked over and tapped on my shoulder.

"Were you talking with that?" she looked pointedly at Mochu who gave her a distateful glance.

"Not exactly. Why?" she groaned and was about to say something when she noticed Natsume sitting down next to me who had taken the manga off his face and was listening intently to our conversation. Natsume glared at her and Akame gulped, dragging me back to where Eri and Hotaru were catching up on the last couple years.

"Who's that hottie?" she asked interestedly. I looked back at her innocently.

"Who? Natsume?" I asked, jerking my head towards him. She nodded enthusiastically. "What about him?"

Akame fidgeted nervously. "Do- do you think you could introduce me?" she asked shyly. All of a sudden, she glanced back at Natsume, then at me. "What alice does he have?"

I laughed. "He has the alice of fire." I explained She gaped and looked at me, aghast.

"That's scary!" she exclaimed. I winced, knowing this was one of the things that had made Natsume turn into such a cold person before I came. I opened my mouth but she interrupted me. "Can you still introduce us?" Akame asked hopefully. I smiled.

"Sure!" I led her back over to Natsume's desk.

"Natsume," I snapped, nullifying his alice as he tried to burn Permy's hair. "What are you doing?" He glanced at me for a split second then went back to his manga.

"What? It's not a crime to try and drive away annoying people." he stated. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway, Natsume, this is Akame." I smiled cheerfully. "She went to school with me before I came to Gakuen Alice." Akame smiled nervously at him.

"Hi, Natsume." she said shyly.

"Hn." he grunted in reply, not even bothering to look up. I glared at him and huffed.

"You could at least _try _and be cordial for once." I reprimanded.

"Tch. Whatever, Polka." he grunted. I was about to slap the back of his head when he caught my arm. Akame looked at him curiously. Natsume rolled up my sleeve, revealing the fresh bruises from last night's missions. He looked at me, waiting for an explanation. I hastily pulled the sleeve down and stepped back a bit.

"It's nothing." I said quickly, avoiding his scrutinizing glare. "I accidently hit my arm on a pot last night." I gave him a quick smile. "No biggie." He looked as if he was going to let it go but then snapped his head back when I winced as I brushed my arm against the table.

"Mikan." his voice was dangerously low and Akame started to back away. "What's going on? You have bruises all over you." I shook my head furiously and forced a smile.

"Seriously, Natsume. I'm fine." I said firmly. He stood up and grabbed my hand, careful to avoid the bruises. "Natsume?" I said roughly. "Where are we going?" He didn't reply as he dragged me out the doors. All of a sudden, he caged me up against the wall, his eyes fierce.

"Mikan." he said slowly. "What. Is. Going. On.?" I gulped and my palms started to get all sweaty.

"What do you mean, Natsume?" I asked innocently. He glared at me. "I'm just starting to get more clumsy these days. Is there something wrong with that?" Natsume looked like he was about to say something else but right at that moment, Hotaru walked out with Akame and Eri trailing behind her. Hotaru glared at him and raised up her Baka gun.

"What do you think you're doing, Hyuuga?" she snapped, pulling the trigger. He dodged away only to have another shot smack his face. I looked at her and sweatdropped.

"H- Hotaru!" I exclaimed in surprise. She looked at me and motioned for me to follow. I glanced at Natsume who looked at me dismissively.

"Hn." he grunted, jamming his hand into his pockets before stalking away. I gave a sigh of relief and followed the three girls in silence. We walked to my room and I trudged in, leaving the door open for the others. They slipped in and shut the door. I lay on my bed and sighed. What would have happened if Hotaru didn't walk out right at that moment.

"Mikan." I turned around and looked at Hotaru who was glaring at me. I cringed at the look on her face.

"N- Nani?" I stammered.

"Seriously, do you want me to steal some of Nonoko's healing potion. Cause honestly, you're beginning to worry me a lot." she stated. I shook my head in a silent 'no'.

"No. I copied your brother's healing Alice for some of my really serious injuries." I blanched at her raised eyebrows.

"Hey, so Natsume doesn't know that you're doing all these missions?" Akame questioned. I shook my head.

"No. I wouldn't want to worry him anyways." I smiled and my friends looked at me doubiously.

"I think he's worrying about you already, Mikan-chan." Eri stated. I sighed sadly and looked down at my feet.

"I can't help it. I would use the healing alice to heal all my injuries, but it makes me exhausted. I can't afford to fall asleep in class." They looked at me with sympathy as I racked my head for another topic. "Hey, have you guys heard about the new talent show in a couple days?" I questioned. Hotaru gave me an annoyed look, clearly stating her disapproval at my change in topic. I ignored her. Eri and Akame, however, perked up at this comment and gave each other sly looks. I immediately regretted choosing this to talk about.

"Mikan.." Eri started. "Which song are you going to sing?" I stared at her.

"Did I unknowingly mention that I was going to sing a song in the show?" I glanced around as if an explanation was going to pop out of nowhere. Akame groaned.

"Honestly Mikan, do you not see the talent in you?" she shrieked. I shrank back and glanced to Hotaru for help. Ignoring my silent plea for help, she munched on her crab brains thoughtfully.

"Okay, okay. Even if I _did _sing a song, I don't have time to make one up in..3 days!" Eri shrugged.

"So? Work harder for goodness sake!" I crossed my arms and huffed angrily.

"Fine. I'll start right now." My friends grinned happily and trooped out the door. Sighing, I sat down at my writing desk and started on the song.

* * *

Three hours later, I stretched my arms and stood up. That should be good enough. Walking out to the window, I sighed dreamily, gazing out at the moon which seemed so big from here. Suddenly, a crumpled up note caught me by the head. Wincing, I picked up the fallen note and unfurled it.

_Meet me by the Sakura tree. You know which one. I need to tell you something._

_-N_

I frowned. What would Natsume want to tell me at 11:00pm? I shrugged and pulled on my boots and dashed out the door, smoothing my hair as I ran. I jogged over to the Sakura tree and stood beneath it, peering through the branches. Making out Natsume's form on one branch, I smiled and climbed up to sit near him.

"Hey, Natsume!" I greeted softly, as to not disturb the night. He moved his head up and recoiled a bit at the look in his eyes. It showed anger, sadness, and something else I couldn't identify.

"Sakura-san," he started. My eyes widened. Since when had he started using formalities with me?

"Natsume," I said slowly. "Why did you.." I trailed off at the end, realizing what that meant. "Oh, no Natsume please-"

"Yes." he cut me off. "We're over." and with that last statement, he jumped off the tree and sprinted towards the boys' dorms. Tears stung in my eyes as I stared after him. Why would he all of a sudden break up with me? What had I done wrong?

I numbly climbed down from the tree and trudged into my room. Throwing myself on the bed, I sobbed silently. An hour passed and the only movement I had made was to grab my I-pod and then I laid on my bed again. Singing the words to the song, I wondered how my life could have changed so dramatically in the past hour.

**Behind These Hazel Eyes**

_By Kelly Klarkson_

_Seems like just yesterday  
You were a part of me  
I used to stand so tall  
I used to be so strong  
Your arms around me tight  
Everything, it felt so right  
Unbreakable, like nothin' could go wrong  
Now I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on_

I gasped and clutched my chest. It hurt so much...

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

I told you everything  
Opened up and let you in  
You made me feel alright  
For once in my life  
Now all that's left of me  
Is what I pretend to be  
So together, but so broken up inside  
'Cause I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hangin' on

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

Swallow me then spit me out  
For hating you, I blame myself  
Seeing you it kills me now  
No, I don't cry on the outside  
Anymore...  
Anymore...

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

_Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes  
_

Standing up, I moved to my desk and crumpled up my new song. That wouldn't do now. Not anymore.

Day of the Talent Show (3 days later)-

I woke up and stretched, before nimbly climbing out of bed and trudging into the bathroom. Since it was the talent show and there were no classes today, I grabbed my outfit and hopped into the shower. Ten minutes later, I quickly shut the tap off and wrapped myself in a towel. I surveyed my appearance in the mirror.

It was reasonable. The bags under my eyes two days ago had disappeared and I looked normal again. I sighed, remembering the reason for my not-so-cheerful mood.

"Natsume.." I murmured, closing my eyes. Just as quickly as I closed my eyes, I opened them again and headed towards my chair where I had draped the show's outfit. For once, we didn't have to wear a uniform in the show. I slipped on the clothes and did my make-up and hair.

I looked my self up and down, nodding with approval. I had picked out a pair of black, boot-cut jeans paired with a red, off the shoulder shirt. Tying up my hair into a casual knot, slipping on red sandals, and clipping on diamond studs finished off the look. I swiped some cherry gloss over my lips and placed my mask on, deciding that I would not show anyone who I was when singing.

'Let them wonder.' I thought to myself with a chuckle and stalked out the door and teleported backstage since it was almost time for the show to start. I stayed in the shadows as I didn't want to attract any attention to myself. Narumi pranced on the stage with the cordless mike and danced around. I shook my head in disbelief. Who let Narumi be the MC?

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he called out cheerfully. I could imagine some people wincing at his joyfulness. "Welcome to our talent show! First performer is.." Mikan tuned out after that, only listening when one of her friends were performing. She had requested that she be the last performer in the show and the principal readily agreed. Two hours passed and MIkan stood up, adjusting her mask.

"Now!" Narumi started. " We have the last performance for today. The singer wishes to remain anonymous."Grumbles were heard from the crowd as Mikan stalked onto stage, gripping the mike in her hand. She used her alice to make the instruments play as she started to sing. **(I made up this song so please, in u'r reviews, tell me if it's any good. thx!)**

_My voice is nothing but a distant echo_

_Swallowed up by the night to you_

_As I gaze across, the open plane and wonder…._

_How did this come to be?_

_How did you crush me to pieces?_

_Why did you do so, without knowing my true reflection.._

_Cuz' behind this mask_

_She and I are just the same_

_Two for one and one for all_

_You will never realize the true message given through this song….._

_I sweep my eyes across the sea_

_The water gathers up at my feet_

_But I don't care to notice…_

_And I don't care to deny…_

_That you left me in pieces just like the last one_

_I thought you'd stay but I guess you're just another one…_

_But I thought that you were that one…_

_The one who'd stay by my side when I needed him_

_The one who'd comfort me when I was down_

_But no…_

_You still don't know…._

_Cuz' behind this mask_

_She and I are just the same_

_Two for one and one for all_

_You will never understand the true message given through this song….._

_Your words left me sobbing_

_Your sneer left me breaking_

_Opening wounds, I am just realizing_

_The true fate of love…_

_The true fate of what I call life…_

_But when you broke me,_

_I was slapped by an invisible force_

_And I can't help but dream what we could've been.._

_If you really knew…_

_Cuz' behind this mask_

_She and I are just the same_

_Two for one and one for all_

_You will never understand the true message given through this song….._

_But somehow…I still hope..that you will realize me…the real me…_

_Not the fake one that you thought she was_

_Cuz' behind this mask_

_She and I are just the same_

_Two for one and one for all_

_You will never understand the true message given through this song…_

_But I still hope…._

I trailed off and lowered the mike. At first it was one person, but then another joined, then another, and soon the who auditorium was sounding with a thunderous applause. Bowing, I walked off stage and slipped through the back door. I had no intention of staying through that entire thing.

Suddenly, I stood up, hearing someone beneath my window. Persona slipped in and I mentally groaned. Another one?

"Tonight. Nine o'clock. Outside the Northern forest." I nodded and he left, just as swiftly as he appeared. Seeing that it was already 5:00pm, I rolled back my shoulders and slipped on my running shoes. Might as well get some exercise in before going. Locking the door behind me, I teleported onto the track and started at a slow and easy jog, gaining speed by each lap I took.

Soon, I was sprinting, racing around the track as sweat dribbled down my face. Strangely, I didn't feel exhausted at the least! Maybe Persona's training had worked after all. I glanced at my watch and slowed down to a walk, calming down a bit before teleporting to my room again. Taking a quick shower, I pulled up my hair in a ponytail and slipped on the uniform before setting my mask on my face. I jumped out the window and jogged over to the meeting spot. Natsume and Persona were waiting for me. I ran over and stared at the two of the blankly, purposefully not meeting Natsume's crimson eyes. Persona responded by giving directions to the place and our mission.

Apparently, the AAO had formed a new weapon. So deadly that even looking at it would kill you. But Persona had heard (from his _sources_) that it was made using an Alice. Our job, was to destroy it and the blueprints they used to build it. With that, we set off, not bothering to converse with each other along the way. THe AAO base wasn't far so we reached the place in a day.

I crouched behind a bush just as the sun was setting. There were twenty guards standing outside. Mentally rolling my eyes, I motioned Natsume over.

"Okay, here's the plan." I whispered. "I'm going to go and stand in one of the trees. When I give you the signal, light the grass on fire. At the same time, I will freeze the rest of the guards. The sudden change in temperature should leave them pretty fazed for at least ten hours. Then we make our move inside. If there are over ninety guards, I'll freeze time and you go through, killing anyone in your way. But if we get to that, you must do it quick because I can't stop time forever. The blueprints should be in the control room on the left side of the building. You go and collect the blueprints while I go and destroy the weapon." I could tell Natsume was going to protest about his role in the mission so I quickly added, "I'm the one with the nullification Alice after all." Then I mentally slapped myself. How could I have almost given my identity away?

"I copied it from someone." I muttered before darting towards a different tree. I waited for the guards to look elsewhere besides Natsume. Then I raised my hand as the signal and made sure Natsume had done his part before coating all the guards in a thick layer of ice. Jumping down from the tree, I followed Natsume into the building and noticed about a hundred guards standing inside, guarding the control room and what I figured to be the room where the weapon was. "Shit." I cursed under my breath and closed my eyes, letting time freeze.

My eyelids fluttered open and I sighed with relief. All the guards were motionless, their eyes a mask of curiosity. I gestured for Natsume to move on and he let his Alice spread, killing all guards. Wincing at the scene in front of me, I took a deep breath and mustered up all my energy to keep the time frozen for as long as I could. Natsume lightly touched my arm to let me know he was done. I exhaled and all the guards collapsed on the floor, dead. Nodding once towards Natsume and we parted ways. I cracked open the door to the weapon and peeked inside, making sure my nullification alice was working completely before I stepped inside.

The weapon simply looked like a bigger version of Hotaru's BAKA gun, only bigger and on a stand. I had to admit, it was kinda scary. My alice wavering slightly, I took a tentative step forwards and felt the fury of the weapon for the first time. An invisible force lashed out and landed a gash on my arm. I winced and moved back, biting my lip so I didn't scream and alert any other guards on patrol. I let myself fill up with nullification before stepping forward again. Nothing. I took another step forward. Nothing.

I smirked, letting my guard down for a split second, and all hell broke loose.

Natsume's POV-

I dashed inside the control room, incinerating the cameras and scanning the room for the blueprints. Noticing a locked cupboard near the floor, I melted the lock and furtively pulled it open. Sighing with relief, I pulled out the blueprints and turned them to ashes. A loud crash was heard from the room next to me and a surprised scream followed shortly after. Groaning, I sprinted towards the sound, praying that the girl didn't hurt herself. Kicking in the doors, I was immediately pushed back out by shiro-neko.

"Get out!" she screamed, tugging me along while she sprinted towards the exit. "The weapon is going to self-destruct in thirty seconds and I changed it to ten seconds by accident. MOVE!" she yelled. As soon as she slammed the doors open, the entire building exploded, throwing us back at least twenty feet. I moaned as my head made contact with a tree and fell limply to the ground, laying there for a moment before sitting up again. The entire building was engulfed in flames, melting and burning everything in it.

I felt the girl teleport us back a bit so we could take a breather. As I laid back down, I felt my head carefully and when I pulled my hand back, it was covered with a red liquid, staining my clothes. The girl finally noticed that my head was gushing blood out and she let out a surprised squeak.

"Oh my god, Natsume." she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!" I shook my head, wincing from the movement. She gingerly touched the back of my head with her hand and I felt some warmth coming from it. When she pulled her hand away, I sat up and twisted my head around. It didn't hurt anymore! The girl looked around uncomfortably before leaning against a tree trunk and sighing.

"Hey." I started softly. She looked up at me. "I need to tell you something." The girl shrugged.

"Okay, go on." I took a deep breath.

"I- I know we haven't known each other a long time and stuff," I started, "but I think I'm in love with you." Her head snapped up and she stared at me, her eyes widening in shock. Then she looked away. I fidgeted.

"It won't work out Natsume. Trust me." Pain was clearly evident in her voice as she spoke. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"You don't know me. At all, I mean." she said. I shrugged.

"So?" The girl looked at me as if I was crazy.

"So? What do you mean, _so_?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Natsume, I'm sure that if you knew who I really was, you wouldn't be telling me this. You would still be living your fairytale with Mikan Sakura. Not break up with her and go and confess to a girl you barely know." My eyes widened. "And before you ask how I knew, I have my sources." I frowned and stood up, pulling off my mask.

"Then show me. What's your name and what you look like?" She glared at me and shook her head.

"No way. I- I'd be-" she groaned and smacked her head back against the tree. "You wouldn't understand." The girl stood up and crossed her arms. "Never." "This is all just an act. This is not even my real personality. It's Persona's rules and I have to play by them."

"What wouldn't I understand?" I questioned. When she didn't answer, I smirked. "Fine. I'll find out for myself." I lunged to the side, catching my partner completely off guard and ripping the mask off her face. She turned away from me, placing her hands over her face.

"Natsume." she growled. "Give. The. Mask. Back." I shook my head and smirked.

"If you want it, all you have to do is turn around and get it." She shook her head furiously.

"Give it back. Natsume. I'm dead serious." Her voice was firm but it wavered in the middle. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed one her hands and pulled it away. She turned her head farther back.

"Well?" I challenged. All of a sudden, I could hear sobs.

"Natsume *sob* I'm serious. *sob* I need you *sob* to give me back *sob* my mask." Stunned, I loosened my grip on her, but before she could escape, I twirled her around so she was facing me. Finally I got to see...Mikan? Her tear-streaked face stared back at me, her eyes filled with sorrow, pain, and a hint of anger. I released her hand in shock and she grabbed the mask back, but didn't put it back on. She stared at the ground while I tried to put together my scattered thoughts.

Now it made sense! All the bruises and injuries, why she'd been so distant from me lately, and her secret meetings in the morning. And I had thought that she was meeting someone else so I had tried to move on.

"Natsume-" she choked out, stepping back, before passing out from blood loss. I realized that she had a deep wound in her arm that I failed to notice before. Gathering her up, I kissed her forehead before jogging off towards the hospital. I wasn't taking any chances going to Gakuen Alice and facing all the questions and...Persona. God dammit' I was going to kill that freak when Mikan was in safe hands.

* * *

Mikan's POV-

Opening my eyes, I winced at the bright light that streamed in from the window. Taking in the whitewashed walls and the IV in my arm, I figured that I was at the hospital. But how...My thoughts trailed off as I noticed a sleeping figure beside me.

"Natsume.." I murmured, reaching out to brush his hair back before curling my fingers into a fist and pulling my hand in. I took a deep breath in. I had hurt him so much by being distant. Did I even deserve someone like him now? Natsume stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he yawned and sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he finally noticed that I was awake.

"Oh, Mikan, I'm so sorry! I should've thought twice before I broke up with you! I was-" I placed my hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"It's not your fault." I said softly. "I'm sure I would have done the same if I thought you were with someone else. I know I've been distant lately, but I was scared." Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"Scared of what, Mikan?" I sighed and gazed at him sadly.

"I was scared of hurting you. If I lost control and someone got hurt, I don't know what I would do. And I didn't want you to beat yourself up over what Persona made me do." "I loved you too much." I added. His gaze softened and he leaned in, capturing my lips in a sweet kiss. Pulling back, he smiled at me.

"I don't care. I loved you, I still loved you, and will keep loving you." **(okay, I know that line was really cheesy and Natsume is kinda OOC at this point, but please don't hurt me!) **Tears filled my eyes and I closed my eyes savoring this moment as he hugged me again.

Nothing was going to tear us apart ever again.

Or so we thought so...

* * *

_**Yay! Done with this chapter...and the story! Okay, so I need you all to tell me if I should write a sequel, continue the story, or just end it the way I did.**_

_**Thanks to the people who were with me all the way!**_

_**-Arigatou!**_


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